


Hey hey, marry me Barry

by Qpenguin98



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Episode: e060-066 The Stolen Century Parts 1-7, F/M, Families of Choice, Fluff, Marriage, Non-Linear Narrative, Post-Canon, TAZ Candlenights Exchange, also it got much longer than anticipated i am sorry!, surprise wedding, this is so soft its unbearable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22194985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qpenguin98/pseuds/Qpenguin98
Summary: "Barry Bluejeans is hiding something and Lup wants to know what it is. "My gift for @halcyonhowl for the Candlenights gift exchange!
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Lup & Angus McDonald, Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 78
Collections: The Candlenights Zone (2019 Exchange)





	Hey hey, marry me Barry

**Author's Note:**

  * For [halcyonhowl (foxmoon)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxmoon/gifts).



Barry Bluejeans is hiding something and Lup wants to know what it is. She’s almost completely certain it’s nothing bad, but that doesn’t stop her wanting to know. He’s planning something, something that’s probably big, and it’s eating at her that she isn’t involved. That means it’s about her, and she can’t stand for not knowing something big that includes her in the integral plotting.

He’s been sneaking off in his free time, stammering this and that about where he’s going and what he’s doing, and it’s not hard for her to catch the lie. He never spends this much free time at work “catching up” on the backlog of paperwork for RQ, and he definitely doesn’t go out shopping just to come back seemingly empty handed. He hates the attention of strangers, and for him to go window shopping is so out of character that it’s possibly the worst lie he could tell. She knows him, she’s known him for over a hundred years, and he knows how to lie. So she’s not really sure why he’s choosing to give her half assed ones instead of a genuine Bluejeans falsehood.

She wants answers and Barry isn’t giving them to her.

Taako might be a good place to start if she wants to know the truth. He doesn’t often keep things from her, and him and Barry have always been close.

“My dearest brother whom I love and cherish!” is how she starts, coming up behind him and swinging an arm around his shoulder as he stirs at a pot on the stove.

“Yes my dear sister who I know is going to ask me something?” Taako turns to look at her. One eyebrow is raised and his lips are pursed.

“I have a favor to ask,” she says, and he waves his hand in a _get on with it_ motion. “What is Barry planning?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says as he turns back to the pot.

“Taako,” she whines, leaning most of her weight on him. She hears him huff in annoyance and smiles. “Come on, I gotta know. I know it’s something to do with me but I don’t know what! It’s gotta be big, and that means I _need_ to know.”

“If a surprise gets ruined, it’s no longer a surprise,” he says simply, and she groans.

“Yeah, but if he thinks it’s still a surprise then it’s fine.”

“Nope,” he says. “If I knew anything, and I don’t, I wouldn’t tell you. That’s his business.”

“Is it for Candlenights?” she asks. Candlenights is in just about a month, and if he were planning something big it would make sense for it to line up with the holiday season.

“Why do you assume I know all the details? I don’t know what he’s planning, when it’s for, or how much it involves you, Lulu.” She makes a noise at the nickname and can see the smile on his face because of it. “You just gotta cut your losses and accept that I don’t know and I’m not telling.”

“You’re the worst,” she hisses, grabbing a fork from the rack and stealing a bite of the goulash he’s got in the pot. “The worst brother.”

“Thought I was your ‘dearest brother whom I love and cherish?’ When did that change?”

“When you wouldn’t tell me Barry’s grand plan!” She pushes herself off of him and crosses her arms. “I’m gonna find out whether you tell me or not.”

“Good luck with that!” He’s grinning and Lup realizes that Barry may have sworn everyone involved to secrecy. She groans in frustration and throws the fork in the sink, stalking out of the kitchen to go and plan how she’ll get the information she needs.

“Dinner’s at five,” he calls after her, and she repeats it in a nasty tone under her breath.

\---

It’s Cycle 50, they’ve been together for two years, dancing around putting a label on things for longer, and Lup loves every second of it.

They’re together on the balcony of the Starblaster, overlooking the near deserted world they’ve landed on this cycle. Lup’s resting on the barrier, Barry next to her, and she knocks the floor with her toes.

“Would you ever want to get married?” she asks unbidden, and her stomach immediately starts twisting up.

Barry’s very quiet for a moment before he turns to look at her. She angles her body to face him. His eyes are wide.

“Are you proposing?”

“No!” she says quickly, and then curses herself for being bad at this. “I mean, kind of? Not, not a proposal. Just… floating the idea. A ‘would you be interested’ kind of discussion.”

“Oh,” Barry says, relaxing. Lup feels herself relax as well and she feels a little more comfortable. “Yeah. Not right now, I don’t think, while we’re still stuck in this never ending space trip, but yeah. I’d want to get married someday.”

“Cool,” she says. It was always a bit of a far off concept for her, a maybe never situation. Marriage. Her being married. Lup feeling comfortable and close enough to a partner for her to even consider the idea of spending the rest of her life with someone. “Me too.”

“Why?” Barry asks. “Not— not why would you want to marry me, just why bring it up now?”

“I don’t know,” she says, and it’s not exactly false. The words did come from nowhere. She turns back out towards the planet, watching a few birds fly into the trees in the dying light. “It’s just… I never really saw myself getting married. Couldn’t see myself finding someone I wanted to stay with forever. But I mean, we’ve had fifty years and we’ve got who knows how many more before this ends, and that looks as close to forever as I’m gonna get. The rest of our lives could be this ship, forever, and that’s fucking terrifying and kind of exhausting, but thinking about being with you for all of that makes things a little better, you know?”

Barry’s hand reaches over the railing and wraps around hers and she gives a small smile.

“I know,” he says, and he sounds unbearably fond. Lup can feel her face heating up and covers her mouth with her free hand. “I spent so much time cooped up in research that I never even considered trying to make a life outside of it, and by the time I started thinking about it, it felt like I’d waited too long and it was too late.”

He laughs a little and Lup turns to look at him again. “Forever’s a very long time, Lup, but I’d be happy to spend it with you.”

Lup makes a very embarrassed noise, trying to cover the entirety of her face with the one hand, and she can hear Barry laughing at her.

“Ugh, you absolute sap, you know I can’t handle that.”

“How am _I_ the sap? You’re that one that pretty much just asked me to marry you and told me you’d be happy spending the rest of this forever with me.”

“And you said it back! Only I can say sappy things. It’s not embarrassing if it’s directed at someone else.”

“I loooove you,” Barry says, letting her hand go and wrapping his arms around her waist. She shoves at him halfheartedly, but there’s a laugh bubbling up in her chest so her hand ends up resting on his shoulder while she giggles.

“Shut up,” she says, grinning. “I love you too, now hush up, Bluejeans.”

“I don’t think I will,” he tells her.

“You’re lucky I love you, because I would not stand for this disrespect any other way.”

“Disrespect,” Barry says lightly, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her cheek. “What exactly would you consider respectful?”

“This,” she says quietly and kisses him proper.

\---

Every single person Lup’s asked has ended up a bust. Kravitz either does a very good job of playing dumb or really doesn’t know anything, Magnus talked her in circles about his dogs and woodcarving until he got her back out the door, Merle had laughed and told her to ask Barry herself, Davenport had told her essentially what Taako told her but sterner, and even Lucretia wouldn’t say anything, citing that she had paperwork to get back to but she’d be happy to talk about it at a later time after the holiday busy season.

They don’t even have a holiday busy season on the moon.

She’s frustrated out of her mind, but she won’t ask Barry. She knows he won’t tell her and he seems like he’s investing more and more time into whatever plan he’s thought up.

It’s time for her to bust out the big guns.

She summons her scythe and rips a rift to Lucas Miller’s school, into a back hallway so she doesn’t spook someone, and goes searching. He should be around here somewhere, teaching, learning, one of these classrooms has to have him inside—

“Miss Lup?”

She’ll insist later that she did not jump, but she absolutely jumps, spinning around to find Angus McDonald standing behind her. He’s grown and inch or two since the last time he was home, and he’s still wearing his fancy boy get up. He’s got a few books in his arms and he’s looking up at her with a puzzled expression.

“Angus!” she says very cool-ly. “Just the man I wanted to see. I need your help.”

“Oh?” he says, shifting his feet. “With what?”

“With—,” she cuts herself off, looking around. People are starting to notice her, probably starting to realize who she is, and she does not want the attention right now. “Do you have a dorm or a classroom we can take this? It’s not exactly super private here.”

“Of course! The room for the class I teach should be empty right now.”

He leads her down the hall and around the corner to a nice but very empty looking classroom. The door clicks shut behind them and he settles his weight against the desk, setting his pile of books down and grabbing a notebook and a pen.

“Barry’s up to something,” she tells him, and his eyebrows go up. “Nothing bad, but everyone but me knows what it is, and I want in. I know it’s about me because he _always_ includes me in his big plans otherwise. I’m pretty sure it’s a big something, because there’s no way he’d be able to get everyone to keep quiet if it wasn’t.”

“What’s he been doing?” Angus asks as he scribbles all of that down onto his paper.

“Well, he’s been lying, but it isn’t good.” She watches him pause in his writing and look at her. His brows are furrowed and he looks confused, ready to ask another question. “I mean that Barry is good at lying, I’ve watched him create whole fake backgrounds and pull answers out of his ass without breaking a sweat, but this isn’t that. He’s dodgier than normal, and if he really wanted to he could easily get me off of this thread. But he isn’t doing that, which I think means he wants me to know he’s planning something.”

“That is strange,” Angus says, and he isn’t writing.

“You know something, Ango?”

“No,” he says easily, “I’m just wondering why he wouldn’t include you in the plan if he wants you to know about it.”

“I know!” She crosses her arms, frustrated. “It’s obviously something important because he wants me to have some kind of warning, but I have no clue what it’s for.”

“I’ll look into it,” Angus says. “It might be a little bit before I get to do some actual legwork because it’s the end of the semester, but I’ll definitely get you something.”

“Oh take your time,” she tells him. “I’m pretty sure it’s for Candlenights anyway, so we’ve got some wiggle room.”

Angus writes that down as one last tidbit of information. “Alright. This should be fun! I’m excited to get to tailing him and see what I can see. Maybe the others will tell me if I ask them instead of you.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for, bud. You’ve probably got class or something so I’ll leave you to it, but keep in touch, yeah?”

“I’ll let you know as soon as I find something out, Miss Lup.”

She gives him a quick hug and rifts her way back to the house, flopping onto the couch.

“Any luck?” Taako asks, and she flips him off. She closes her eyes to his laughter.

\---

Becoming liches is an intensive process that requires a lot of research and a lot of time, but it’s going to be worth it. Lup can feel it in her bones. It’s risky and it’s dangerous, but it means no one has to be left alone again, and that’s so important. She doesn’t want what happened to Lucretia to happen to anyone else, so when Barry had very cautiously brought up the idea, she’d agreed.

It’s more than that, though. It’s a commitment that she’s not going to take lightly. It’s forever, literally this time. Forever alive with each other, which she knows it seems like they’re spending together on the Starblaster, but this will carry on past that. It’s Forever with a capital F. Longer than either of their lifespans.

They plan days for each other, because of course they do. Lup wants to keep hers as secret as long as she can, and she knows Barry wants to spring his on her without her knowledge, so as long as they don’t accidentally do them on the same day it’ll all work out fine.

She wakes up on the day she’d planned for him with butterflies in her stomach. She’s got a bag packed, had enlisted Taako’s help in preparing for a picnic later in the day, and has a few fun gifts for Barry, but for now she’s fine laying here with him.

He shifts in his sleep, curling his arms around her middle, and she leans over and presses a kiss to his forehead. He scrunches his face up and mumbles for a second, body tensing before relaxing. He blinks his eyes open and looks up at her blearily.

“Hey,” she says quietly, leaning in to kiss him. He makes a sleepy noise and clumsily kisses her back.

“Hey,” he says when she pulls back. She goes back in for another kiss and he blocks it with his hand. “I got morning breath.”

“So do I. You don’t see that stopping me.” She pushes past his hand again and gives him one more quick kiss. “We do have toothbrushes if you don’t wanna deal with it, though.”

“I know we have toothbrushes,” he says, yawning and settling into the bed. “We should probably get up soon.”

“I mean, probably, but this is the fun magic world. Who’s gonna rag on us for taking our time?”

“You’ve got a point.” Barry rolls onto his side and props up on his elbow. He looks soft like this, softer than normal. Eyes still fuzzy with sleep, body not tensed with the never ending panic of the Hunger. It’s nice. She smiles at him and he gives her one back. “You got any plans for the day?”

“Found a cool book you might like,” she tells him, shifting up on the pillows more. “But that’s for later. Right now I don’t want to leave the bed.”

She wiggles her eyebrows at him and he snorts, resting the hand not holding his head up on her waist.

“I think we can swing that.”

Lup laughs and kisses him again.

An hour or so later when she’s feeling appropriately warm and mushy, they finally get out of bed. The shower spray is welcome against her sweaty skin. Barry had insisted she take it first, and it may be his day but she is glad to wash her hair.

“What do you wanna do today?” Barry asks her around a mouthful of toothbrush and tooth paste.

“Breakfast,” she says, rinsing the shampoo out of her hair. “And then I dunno. I’ve got a few ideas but nothing set in stone.”

That’s a lie. She has a plan to steer the day the way she wants, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“M’kay,” he says, spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing his mouth. “You said you found a book?”

“Yeah, this cool thing talking about the astral plane and its intersections with magic.” She washes the conditioner out of her hair and stands under the spray for a few more seconds before turning it off and grabbing the towel from the hook. “Shower’s free.”

They slip around each other, Lup wrapping the towel around herself and grabbing her own toothbrush.

“That sounds super fun,” Barry says from the shower, water creaking on. “Where’d you find it?”

“Back corner of that weird little library. There’s a lot of cool stuff in there.” She took the second to best book, left the best one there for him to find when they inevitably make their way to it. “You wanna check it out today?”

“Uh, yeah? If they’ve got stuff like that in there then I definitely want to check it out.”

She spits out the toothpaste and combs out her hair before going to get dressed. She double checks her bag, makes sure everything she needs is in there, and then dresses. Barry comes out a few minutes later, toweling off his hair and pulling on a pair of jeans.

“Any requests for breakfast?”

“Whatever’s fine.”

“I can make pancakes. Do you want to make apple sauce?”

“Sounds like a plan,” he says.

The kitchen is empty when they go in, and Lup wonders if Taako had herded them all out beforehand. She gets to mixing the batter and he starts cutting up the apples and it’s not long before they have a mini breakfast just for the two of them. She spreads the applesauce on top of her pancakes and rolls them up like a weird little crepe and Barry scoops a bite of apple sauce with each forkful of pancake.

They make it out to the library where Lup presents the book she’d found and leads him through the ruins to the corner she’d found it in. He spends a very long time digging through them, reading page after page of information lost to the world and shoving books in his own bag. He finds the best book, the one she’d left for him, the one that entangled the astral plane and the magic plane and necromancy and all the things he’s interested in, and spends a good hour gushing over all the information inside of it.

They’re well into the afternoon by the time they leave, bags significantly heavier than before, and she leads them to the very still ocean. The weather is almost always a balmy seventy five, no wind, no sentient life of any kind disturbing the peace, and she’s grown used to it over the months. The waters are usually cooler, more in the fifties or sixties, and it’s perfect swimming weather.

Lup throws him his trunks and he looks at her funny, and she knows he’s getting close to figuring her out, but they’ve got an ocean to swim in.

“Come on, Barold. There’s water to get into.”

She strips her clothes, having worn her swimsuit under her outfit, and takes a running jump into the water. He joins her a moment later, bristling at the chill before he gets used to it, swimming out to meet her. It takes a grand total of three minutes before she dunks him under the water, watching with glee as he comes up sputtering. Once he catches his bearings, there’s a glint in his eyes and she shrieks, swimming away as he comes after her.

“Fair’s fair!” he yells as he catches her waist and pulls her under. She scrambles around for his arms and yanks him down with her and they both come up laughing.

They come back to the shore, drying off and settling onto a grassy part of the shoreline, and Lup pulls a picnic basket from the bag of holding in her main bag.

“Alright,” Barry says, sounding amused. “I wasn’t sure at first, but this has gotta be the day, right?”

“Oh yeah, for sure,” she says, pulling out bread and jam jars and fruit. “It’s deffo your day, I just wanted you to figure it out on your own.”

She keeps the basket next to her, as there’s one more piece to this early dinner that she doesn’t want him to see yet. She grabs some bread, lights up a hand, and gently toasts it.

“It’s been a good day,” he says softly.

“Yeah?” She smiles at him, handing him a piece of bread and a jam jar. “I’d hope so. Those books were a lucky break a few weeks ago and let me tell you, keeping them a secret was hard.”

“You got anything fancy planned for after this?” he asks, spreading a cherry like fruit jam on the bread.

“One more planned thing,” she tells him, spreading some type of blue berry jam on hers. “But let’s eat first, okay?”

The eat their very late lunch and look out at the unmoving sky, the sun stuck in the same spot day after day. It’s serene, tinges of pink still peeking from the edge of the horizon. She leans on him, resting her head atop his, and lets herself feel a bit nervous for the next part.

“So,” Lup says when they’ve finished eating, still resting on him. She tangles her hand with his for a kind of anchor and he squeezes it gently. “We’re becoming liches at the end of this Cycle, which is cool and kinda scary, but most importantly it’s forever. It’s us, undead and together forever, so long as everything goes right like I know it’s going to. But that’s commitment, and it’s a commitment I want to be a part of, and I know you do to.”

She shifts so she’s sitting up on her own, still holding his hand in hers, and turns her body to face him entirely. He’s looking at her quizzically.

“And it’s, well, it’s probably more binding than marriage as by the time we do that we’ll be technically dead and it’ll nullify it legally and all that mumbo jumbo, but it’s still in a similar vein.”

“Lup,” Barry says softly, wondrously, and his eyes get a bit of a sheen on them. She resolutely holds her own tears back and pushes on.

“It doesn’t have to be now, because I know you want to wait until we’re done with this never ending space trip, and I do to, and it’s close, it’s so close I can feel it. But I want it out there before we rip our souls out of out bodies just so you know and I know that you know.”

She reaches behind her without looking, fumbling with the lid of the basket for a second before pulling out the small box she’d stowed away inside of it. Barry’s looking at her like she’s just given him the world, and maybe she has. She pops the box open one handed and presents the simple silver band she’d gotten for him.

“Barry Bluejeans, would you marry me?”

“Yes, Lup,” he says, and it’s very wobbly. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

She takes his left hand and slides the ring in place and he waits until she’s finished to pull her into a very tight hug. She buries her face in the junction of his shoulder an neck, letting the feeling of him saying yes wash over her.

Of course he’s say yes, there’s not a timeline where he wouldn’t, but that doesn’t change the jitters she felt in her body, baring herself to be rejected.

They’re going to get _married_.

Lup lets out a laugh and Barry holds her tighter. “How am I supposed to top this?”

“That was my plan all along, make the _best_ best day,” she says, and he snickers. “No but really babe, there’s nothing you need to top. I love you and I just… I wanted you to know, yeah?”

He pulls back and kisses her, cupping her face in his hands. She lets her eyes slip closed, feels the cool press of the silver band against her cheek, and slides her arms around his neck.

“I love you,” he tells her very seriously. “And we’ve upgraded.”

“Upgraded?”

“I’m your fiancé,” he says, and a pleased looking smile spreads over his face. “You’re my fiancée, and one day, you’re gonna be my wife.”

“You gonna be my husband, and that’s nothing to scoff at,” she says, kissing him again. “We have upgraded. Fiancé. I like it.”

“Me too,” he says, soft and full of love, and Lup can feel her soul sing.

\---

“Miss Lup I’m really sorry,” Angus says a few days into his winter break. He’s got his notebook and what looks like a few pages worth of notes. “I tailed him, but it really didn’t give me anything useful. And I think someone figured out that you asked me because no one gave me much in the way of answers.”

“That’s alright, Mango. Can I see what you did find?”

“Oh of course. I don’t know if you’ll be able to connect the dots better because you’ve known him longer, but I’m really not seeing a clear picture with what I’ve got.”

He hands over the notebook, flipped to that first page he’d been writing on when she’d asked him. She skims past all that, onto the parts she doesn’t already know. There’s a bit about him visiting Merle, then stopping in town at a shop name she doesn’t recognize, the he visits Davenport, and he loses the trail there, presumably because of the rifting capabilities. Another day finds him completely cooped up in his lab, not leaving for hours, and that’s not entirely unheard of. Lup knows he can get lost in time down there so she’s not really worried about that. One more day and he spends almost all of it on the moon, and Lup doesn’t think she’s seen Barry spend this much time with Lucretia since Story and Song. Another and he’s seen plotting out something with Taako. It’s frustrating, but Angus really does seem disappointed that he couldn’t get her more. He tried and that’s enough.

“You mind if I keep this?” she asks him and he nods.

“I’m sorry there’s not more. It’s difficult keeping track of someone that can rift through space like you guys.”

“Tell me about it,” Lup says. “I can barely keep track of where I’m ending up, let alone another person.”

“What’re you two plotting about over here,” Taako says, dropping an arm and leaning on Angus’s head.

“Nothing sir!” Angus says, and Lup leans back in her chair.

“Trying to figure out Barold’s grand plan,” she says, waving the notebook. “I think I’m gonna have to admit defeat.”

“Oh yeah he’s keeping this shit _close_. No one wiggling that out of him. It’s a surprise, Lup, you gotta give it up.”

“I hate giving up,” she says tilting her head back. “I’d just like to know!”

“I promise you’ll find out, just not yet. Now stop enlisting top tier detective’s help in busting your boytoy’s master plan and listen to the theme for the Candlenights party.”

“There’s a theme this year?” This is her second year attending it, first year with a body used to being a body again, and she’s ready to party.

“Formal wear,” Taako says, spreading his hands out. “I’m talking bougie benefit formal. Gowns and silk and shit. All the good stuff. I got some choice picks for you if you wanna look?”

“What are we, twelve? Since when do you pick my outfits for me?”

“Since I decided that the theme was formal wear like two days ago and realized I didn’t give anyone enough time to plan, keep up,” he says like it’s obvious, which Lup guesses it should be.

“You know, that’s fair. I dunno that I’ve had anything formal since we crashed that wedding in Cycle 73.”

“Then let’s get looking!” He bounces off of Angus’s head, who rubs his skull in annoyance, and grabs Lup’s hand, dragging her off to look at his “choice picks.”

The spare room he shoves her in is full of dresses that are way too formal for a normal Candlenights party. These are even a little extravagant for Taako. Lace and tulle and chiffon and silk, almost all of them light colors.

“Taako,” she says, a little taken aback. “This is a little much, don’t you think?”

“Oh you should see Krav’s fit. It’s this deep purple velvet suit that looks fucking excellent on him. You are not gonna look out of place, I promise.”

“They almost look like wedding dresses,” she says, except none of them are white. The closest they get is this really pretty blush color that she’s drawn to, reaching out a hand to run over the lacy flowers on the shoulders and the bodice.

“You’d be surprised what looks like a wedding dress these days,” Taako says, and Lup accepts her fate of playing dress up for the next however long Taako wants.

She ends up choosing that blush pink one she’d seen earlier, the lace trailing down into a long tulle skirt that swishes very pleasantly when she moves. Taako looks at her, does some fussing, pulls her hair up in a bun with some hair falling into her face, and nods.

“It looks real good, Lulu,” he says, and there’s an odd tone to his voice. “You like it?”

“Yeah I like it, you know my taste pretty well.”

“Did you pick a dress?” Angus calls from the hallway.

“Yeah little man, you wanna check it out?”

Angus pops his head in the doorway, looking the dress and her up and down, and he grins.

“It looks very good, Miss Lup.”

“Thanks, Mango, I think so too.”

“Alright, out of it, we don’t wanna ruin it before the party,” Taako says, pushing her back to get out of it.

“Pushy pushy,” she says, pulling her regular clothes back on. “It’s Candlenights, ‘Ko, not a banquet.”

“Themes are themes, and I won’t stand for this slander.”

She fiddles around with the notebook for a while, flipping through everything Angus has given her, which is admittedly little, and wonders what to do with it. Whatever he’s got planned it coming up soon. She could just wait it out and see, or she could ask and see if he tells this time, or she could do more digging herself.

“Babe,” she starts one night, lights out and covers up. He turns to face her, blinking to try and catch her face in the low light.

“Yeah?”

“What are you planning?”

“Lup,” he says, and he sounds fond and tired. “I’m not planning anything.”

“That’s a bad lie,” she tells him. “You can lie better than that, Bluejeans, so what are you planning.”

“Not yet,” he says instead of badly lying to her again. “You’ll find out soon, I promise. But you can’t know yet.”

“But I wanna,” she says, pouting. He just laughs quietly and curls an arm over her.

“Not yet,” he repeats and closes his eyes. “You’ll like it, I think. I hope so at least. Putting a lot into it so I’m hoping you like it.”

“I could tell you if you told me,” she tries, and he smiles.

“Nope, that ruins the surprise.”

“Ugh.” She snuggles in closer to him and kisses him on the nose. “You’re the worst.”

“Love you too,” he says, and yeah. She loves him, keeping her out of the loop and all.

\---

They were dumb. They wanted to wait until everything had settled until it was over and done with for sure, but they should have done it the second they send those “relics” out into the world. Now Lup’s stuck in this stupid fucking umbrella and there’s no way out and they’ll never have gotten married.

It’s a silly thing to think about in the context of her situation. No one knows where she is or what she is and she’s lamenting over a thing she never even wanted growing up. It doesn’t even mean anything in the long run. It’s an arbitrary ceremony in the span of what they’ve been through together.

But gods dammit she’s scared and she knows that being married wouldn’t help anything, but at least she’d have done it. At least they would have been “together forever” from a legal standing. There would be a ring on her corpse that meant something that connected her back to Barry, but no.

She’s alone and afraid and it’s so, so dark. She doesn’t know how long its been, but she knows it’s dark, and she never liked the dark.

It’s crushing, it’s pressing, it’s pitch black and terrifying and she hates it.

She closes eyes that she doesn’t have and tries to see the people she loves in her mind but it’s hard. There’s no way out, there’s no way out, she be stuck in here forever, or her soul will. She might not make it that long. She might lose hold of herself, be broken down until she’s nothing but thin strings of attachment that eventually snap and leave her a frazzled, lich crazed danger.

But she won’t be a danger, because she’s trapped.

Lup curses herself for that line of thought and goes back to trying to imagine her loved ones, to see their faces in her mind’s eye. Lucretia reading to Fisher, Magnus carving ducks, Davenport and Merle playing Euchre, Taako with too much flour on his face laughing at something stupid she said, Barry’s face when she’d pulled out that ring—

Oh gods. Oh fuck.

She screams and wails and sobs into the empty darkness around her, slamming hands against walls made of nothing and everything, curtains shrouding her view of the world, of her prison, of herself. There’s nothing for her to keep a grip on so she sinks to the ground, curling up with her nonexistent body pressed as far onto the floor as it can be. She shivers there for a while, crying herself out.

Lup feels very alone, and for the first time in well over a century, she is.

\---

The morning of the Candlenights party, Lup wakes up late. It’s not like she has any obligations until much later, but she’s usually up before ten thirty. She scrubs at her eyes, sitting up slowly. Barry comes into the room. He’s already dressed for the day, jeans and a t-shirt, and he catches sight of her.

“Good morning,” he says, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.

“There’s barely any morning left,” she grumbles, running her hands through her hair. “You ready for Taako’s big fancy Candlenights?”

“He’s enlisted my help in setting up for tonight. Oh, Lucretia called earlier but you were sleeping. She wanted to know if you’d help her get ready for tonight.”

“As if she needs my help,” Lup says. Lucretia’s gotten very good at looking regal in the past ten years. “But yeah, I’ll pop up and help her.”

“She was hoping for around two? If that works.”

“What else do I have planned for the day other than also getting ready for the party? I’m a little surprised she’d invited.”

“Yeah, well,” Barry says, like that’s any explanation. She raises an eyebrow at him and he shrugs. “Once a year family get together?”

“I guess. Maybe Taako’s branching out of his very deep grudge for once.”

“Maybe.” Barry stands again. “I’m heading back out to help set up.”

“I’ll be out in a little bit.”

“Don’t worry about it too much,” he says, waving her off. “We’ve got most of it covered.”

“You know I can’t help but poke my nose where I’m not needed,” she tells him, and he smiles at her.

“I’ll see you out there.”

She takes her time getting up, grabbing her towel and shuffling into the bathroom. The shower is warm, but she wakes up more over her time in it. She takes time with her hair as it’ll probably have to look nice tonight and doesn’t want it too dry or too greasy to play with. It’s nice, relaxing. She knows whatever Barry’s got planned it coming up soon, but she doubts it’ll be tonight. No one wants to overlap their plans with other people’s plans, and Taako seems pretty excited over this weird formalwear party he’s put together.

Lup throws on a pair of pants and an old shirt for the day. She does not want to deal with that dress yet, as pretty as it is, and she’s pretty sure Taako would kill her if she messed it up before tonight. The kitchen smells good, tart and fruity, and she makes her way too it. Taako’s set up at the counter, bowl of berries in sugar on the right and a bowl of oats next to it. She comes up behind him and snatches a blackberry from the top of the bowl. He clicks his tongue at her.

“You making berry crisp?”

“Obviously,” he says. “It’s a good crowd dessert.”

“It’s one of my favorites,” she says, snatching another berry.

“There won’t be any if you keep stealing fruit.”

“Everyone else’s loss then,” she says, but she doesn’t take another one. She’s excited for the finished result. “What are we making for the main course?”

“Lemon tilapia and butter garlic veggies,” he says. “I know Lucretia’s got you snagged for part of the afternoon so I’m getting Ren in here to help out when you leave.”

“Oh thank gods you’re not doing it all alone.” She snags some of the granola from the cupboard and pours herself a bowl, grabbing a yogurt and mixing it in. “And hey, what’s up with making a bunch of food I like?”

“I am making other stuff,” he says huffily. “And I also I like those foods. And most of everyone else does too. They’re good foods.”

“I guess, but it just seems a little weird for a Candlenights dinner.”

“Branching out,” is all he says in explanation, and gods is she tired of everyone being cryptic.

She eats, going through what her day will be like in her head. Cooking with Taako, helping Lucretia get ready for the party, actually being at the get together. It seems like a long day, but it’ll be fun. She likes seeing her family all in one place, and Taako doesn’t seem to stressed by Lucretia being there for once. Maybe Barry’s right about the once a year thing.

Lup sets to laying out the oat crust in the bottom of the baking dishes. They’re making a lot, at least enough for fifteen, but they’ve got plenty of time. And with Ren coming in to take over once she has to leave, she doesn’t have to worry about Taako stressing himself over menial tasks. He pours in the berry mixture and they both at oat crumble on top. They pop the dishes in the over, set the timer, and get to work on prepping the dinner.

“Why formal wear?” she asks, halving a bowl of brussels sprouts.

“I wanted a chance to bust out at least one of the outfits in my closet, and no one was hosting any things I wanted part of, so why not host my own? Plus, it’s always better having a party with people you know instead of getting weird shallow compliments from strangers.”

“Hm.” She pours the brussels back into the bowl and moves onto the peppers. “I guess. You usually like the attention though.”

“Not on the holidays, that’s for family,” he says simply, and Lup takes a look at him. He’s older, not much but he is, and she knows Wonderland changed his appearance a bit, but that’s not what she’s seeing. He looks softer like this, happier. More in love with the world. They won, it’s over, and it’s written all over Taako.

He blinks and looks at her, giving an odd smile. “What?”

“You look happy,” she says decisively.

“I am,” he says, and that smile turns familiar. “I really, really am.”

“Good,” she says, turning back to the peppers. It makes her happy that he’s happy, and she can feel it in herself. It’s all over, but she hasn’t lost anything. She’d spent so long alone, but she’s gotten so much back for it. All of her family, including new members, and a home she loves living in and a job that’s pretty damn cool. She’s so happy, so in love with it all, and this is just the cherry on top.

They spend the next couple hours prepping food and swapping things in and out of the oven. She’s spent time in the kitchen with Taako since getting her body back, but they always fall into a nice rhythm on big meals like this, dancing around each other. Cooking for seven people on the Starblaster was a feat, but a fun one.

“Hey,” Taako says about fifteen minutes before she’s set to leave. “Come back and get ready here, would you? I wanna help you get ready.”

“Kinda cuts mine and ‘Cretia’s time a little short, don’t you think?”

“Party’s not ‘til five thirty, that’s plenty of time,” he tells her. “Please? I got this really cool gold eyeliner that’s gonna look bangin’ with the dress and your hair.”

“Ugh, fine. If you insist, I can come back down to get ready here.”

“Perfect!” He wipes his hands off on his apron. “Now go make Lucretia look presentable.”

“So does not need my help,” Lup says, washing her hands off. “But if she wants my company while she gets ready, I’m happy to help.”

Lucretia is waiting for her when she rifts up, almost no one left on the moon for the holiday season but her. Lup pulls her into a hug and they go off to her room to get ready.

“Taako’s pretty much insisted that I get ready down there with him,” she says, taking in the things Lucretia’s already got out. There’s a high necked forest green dress hanging on the back of her door. “Is this what you’re wearing?”

“Yes,” Lucretia says, wiping at her face to clear it for makeup. “I figured I branch out from blue for once.”

“It’s so pretty,” Lup says, and she looks at Lucretia. “What are you planning to do for make up?”

“I thought maybe something silver?”

“Oh fuck yeah, silver would look top tier next to that green.”

Lucretia is fully capable of doing her own make up, but Lup understands the fun of having someone else help you. She lets Lucretia do her primer and foundation and then takes over for eyes and what little contouring she needs.

“Barry still hasn’t told me what he’s planning,” she says, pencil arching over Lucretia’s brow.

“Oh?” she says, sounding amused. “Have you not needled it out of him?”

“No,” she mutters. “You and everyone else were no help either. I even got Ango to do some tailing and do some digging and he came back with almost nothing. Barry’s keeping a tight lid on this one.”

“Angus must be kicking himself for not solving this one,” Lucretia says, closing her eyes so Lup get a base eye shadow down. “But Barry can be very good at hiding things.”

“He’s barely even trying for this one and I’m still stumped. He’s left just enough clues for me to know there’s something being planned but not enough for me to know what it is.”

“Do you have a timeframe at least?” Lucretia’s smiling and Lup frowns.

“Sometime over Candlenights, I’m sure of that, but I don’t know when. Probably not tonight. Taako seems way to excited over this weird formal party he’s throwing for Barry to have his thing go over it.”

“Oh,” she says, blinking her eyes open. She looks entirely too excited. “I’m so excited for you to learn what it is.”

“I would be too if you’d just tell me,” she says, swiping a brush under her cheekbones.

“My lips are sealed. I do believe you’ll like it, though.”

They devolve into conversation about their lives, and Lup realizes she hasn’t spent nearly enough time catching up with Lucretia as she should have. It’s been a while since they got together just the two of them, and she’s missed this. It’s been years since they’ve really sat down and talked, and it’s nice that it’s before a big family party where they’ll get to see each other again.

Lup finishes her makeup and takes a step back, looking it over before nodding.

“Take a look?”

Lucretia turns to the mirror and smiles. She turns her head a couple times to catch all the angles. “It looks very good. Thank you, Lup.”

“Oh, we’re not done. We’ve still got jewelry and that dress to get on you.”

She changes into the dress while Lup looks at her selection of jewelry. The cool tones really do suit Lucretia, and she’s filled her wardrobe with them. She pulls out a few options for earrings, a simple silver bracelet, and a couple rings. Lucretia comes back out and the dress seems to fit her perfectly.

“Oh!” Lup claps her hands together. “Gods, Lucy, you really picked a good one.”

“You think?” she turns in place, letting the skirt drag around her, and Lup grins.

“Uh, obviously I think. I dunno why you don’t wear more green, that looks cool as hell. Now c’mere and pick some jewelry.”

She picks some simple but very regal looking silver pieces, sliding them on and turning for approval, which she gets immediately. Lup checks the time, a little over an hour and a half before the party, and sighs.

“You wanna come down with me? Taako’ll probably want me back soon to get ready with him.”

“Yeah,” she says, grabbing her bag. “I’m sure they’ll need some help finishing set up.”

She rifts them into the living room, where she’s greeted by Kravitz. He’s got that purple velvet suit Taako had mentioned to her and it really does look good on him.

“He was just starting to get worried,” he tells her, and Lup rolls her eyes.

“Like it’s gonna take that long to get ready. I don’t want over the top and he knows it.”

“Yes, but you know Taako,” Kravitz says, smiling. “Hello Lucretia.”

“Hello Kravitz, anything I can do to help finish up?”

“Most everyone’s in the back,” he says. “I can take you there? I’m sure they’d appreciate the help.”

“Please.”

Lup heads off to their spare room and finds Taako with everything set up in front of him. He’s got a dark teal suit on with a black shirt on underneath and Lup crosses her arms.

“That’s a fun look,” she says, and he turns, shoulders dropping as he sees her.

“I was starting to think you wouldn’t show.”

“I know you’re getting really into this, I wouldn’t screw it up for you.”

“Not me I’m worried about,” he says as he steers her to the chair. “Now I _know_ you don’t want something over the top, but I’m thinking something warm, obvi the golden eyeliner because it compliments literally everything, but a deeper pink on your eyes? Neutral color on your lips? That sound good to you?”

“You know I don’t care about this as much as you do,” she says and he frowns at her. “But yes, that sounds really nice, actually. You’re really going for dolling me up, aren’t you?”

“Nah, just trying to make things match each other,” he says, and get gets to work. Her hair gets pulled back in a messy bun to deal with later, though it’ll probably end up as a more refined version of the do it’s in now.

As nice as it is to do someone else’s makeup, it’s nice to get a little pampered. Taako’s done her makeup too many times to count and she trusts him implicitly not to fuck up her face. He chatters on about him and Ren making a triumphant finish of the foods for the party, that it all tastes excellent and that he hopes they all appreciate him and her and Lup for their time and effort that was put into the food.

“They always do, ‘Ko. I don’t think you have to worry about it.”

“Well,” he says, setting her face. “We’ll see. Check it out?”

She looks in the mirror and gives herself a second to take it all in. The gold really does look good against the pink on her eyes and her skin, and she smiles, lips looking just the slightest bit dewier with the color on them.

“Real good, Taako. This shit’s gonna look excellent with that dress.”

“Obviously,” he says, but he sounds relieved. “Did what I do to your hair the other day look good to you or did you want something else?”

“Don’t you have a party to prepare for? I can do my hair myself.”

“Nah, lemme do it. They’ve got it handled out there, I’m sure of it.”

“Taako…”

“I’ll let you do the dress and stuff! Just let me do your hair and then I’ll be done, deal?”

“Fine, fine! And yes, the little updo you did to my hair looked good.”

He pulls it out of the bun and grabs a bush and a comb, popping a couple bobby pins in his mouth. Getting her hair done is better than getting her makeup done, but she’s not going to admit it. She’s missed this, getting ready with each other before events. Sure, they’ve been making up for lost time in the past year and a half, but it’s never enough.

Taako leaves some wavy bits in the front to frame her face but pulls the rest into an artfully messy bun. It looks ready to fall apart, but every strand is tucked in place so she knows it won’t come out unless something serious happens to it. She looks good and they both know it.

“Done,” he says, stepping back. “You get the rest of yourself ready and I’ll meet you out back, alright? I’ve got some cool temperature stuff happening out there so you don’t have to worry about a jacket.”

“Alright,” she says, shooing him away. “Let me get dressed. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

He leaves her be, smiling as he goes, and Lup sighs. So much for a low key Candlenights.

The dress looks even better with the hair and the makeup, and she has to admit that Taako did an excellent job. She slips on a low pair of strappy golden heels Taako’s left for her, knowing she’ll end up ditching them for bare feet fairly soon, and hooks on a simple pair of golden hoops. It’s a good look, and she’s excited to see what everyone else is wearing.

A knock on the door readies her for the actual event and she opens the door, greeted with a very fancy looking Davenport.

“Hey, Cap’n’port,” she says, a little confused.

“Are you almost ready?”

“Yeah? I mean, it’s not like it’s super pressing that I make it out there right on time, is it?”

Davenport makes a disgruntled noise and sighs. “Well, I guess technically not, but there’s a lot of people waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me,” she says flatly. “Why would they be waiting for me?”

“Just— come with me.” He holds out his hand and she takes it, letting him lead her to the back door. The house is remarkably empty for a party, and she wonders how exactly Taako got them all in one spot. “Look outside?”

She looks out the window and finds a clear split down the middle, chairs on either side, and up at the end of the line is Barry, suit on, and Merle, in actual clerical robes for once. Angus is off to the side, holding this little basket and looks like he’s giving words of encouragement to Barry and

Oh.

“Oh,” she says, turning away from the window. She lets out a laugh and then covers her mouth with a hand, staring down at Davenport.

“Lup?”

“That bastard,” she hisses out, blinking back tears. “He really duped me.”

“Are you alright?” He rests a hand on her arm and she nods.

“I’m good, I-I’m really good I just need a minute.”

“I grabbed you early,” he tells her. “We’ve got a few minutes, so take your time.”

“Oh thank the gods,” she says, waving at her eyes because Taako spent a lot of time on her makeup and she’s not ruining it before she even walks down the aisle at her own fucking _wedding_.

“I really wasn’t sure about this whole plan,” Davenport says. “Keeping it from you, I mean. It’s a massive shock, but he insisted I not tell you.”

“I mean, he really went for it.”

“Lup,” he says, and oh no he’s got that tone. “I’m proud of you two, you know.”

“Cap, you’re meant to make me stop crying, not make me cry more,” she jokes, and he takes both of his hands in her.

“Just listen to me, okay? I’ll give you time, but I want you to know. We’ve all been through so much, together and separate, but we’re done. We made it. And this, this surprise wedding that you didn’t get enough time to plan for, it means we get to breathe. You two have been through a lot, way too much, but you’re here together and I’m so proud of you, do you hear me?”

“Davenport,” she wobbles out.

“It’s your wedding day, Lup,” and his eyes are glossy as he says it. “So let’s go get you married.”

She leans down and hugs him, blinking back tears. A few escape and she laughs. Can’t even keep her crying back before she gets married. There’s no telling what’s going to happen when she gets out there.

He gives her a minute to compose herself and lets her go. She wipes at her face and take a couple deep breaths before nodding. He takes her arm and opens the door.

The people in the seats all turn to look at her, her family, her friends, her family’s family. Taako looks two steps away from crying, and so does Barry, so she doesn’t feel too bad about walking out there already watery eyed.

Davenport walks her down the aisle and yeah, that makes sense. Of all the people who that job would go to she thinks he’s probably the most qualified. She doesn’t think Taako would be able to keep himself together long enough to do it. He squeezes her hand when they reach the front and lets go, taking his seat next to Merle’s kids.

“You’re the worst,” she tells Barry, smiling. His smile is wobbly all the way through and he lets out a laugh.

“I know,” he says, and he reaches his hands out. She takes them and hold them in hers.

“You bring a party outfit?” she asks Merle.

“Obviously I brought a party outfit, who do you think I am?”

“Just checking.” She catches sight of Angus, of to the side of Barry, holding what’s probably their rings. “Did you know the whole time?”

“Oh very much so, Miss Lup. My job was to keep you from figuring the whole thing out.” He grins at her, looking very dapper in his little plaid suit, and the smile doesn’t leave her face.

“Alright, you all did a real good job of keeping me out of the loop.”

“You ready?” Barry asks quietly.

“Yeah,” she says back at the same level. “I’m ready.”

“Everyone,” Merle starts, and oh Lup really isn’t going to be able to hold to together this whole time. “You all know what we’re here for, and now Lup does too! We’re here for marriage between two people that have been in love for over fifty years, through trial and triumph. There’s been some rough patches and years between the good, but they made it. And I really have to commend Barry here for successfully planning a wedding where one party had no idea until they walked through the door.”

There’s some laughter from their small audience, but Lup doesn’t look at them. She’s staring straight at Barry, who’s wearing an actual black suit for once, and he’s staring right back at her. His eyes are glossy and Lup bites her lip, smile breaking onto her face again.

“I’ve known both Lup and Barry for well over a century, and I know a lot of you have too, and that makes today even more special. I had the privilege of watching them fall in love and dance around it and finally come together in one of the most beautiful showings of love that I’ve ever seen. They’ve been together through life and undeath, which makes the legality of all this a little iffy as they’re not technically alive anymore, but that’s a part of what’s kept them together. It shows their bond, how deep it runs, and what it can last through.”

Lup takes a shaky breath and feels some of the tension drop from her body. There are no stakes here. She’s marrying the man she loves, and she surrounded by people who love her, and that’s all that matters.

“Barry?” Merle turns to Barry, who in turn takes a deep, settling breath. Oh, vows. Oh gods vows.

“Lup,” Barry starts, and Lup can feel a fresh wave of tears pushing at her eyes just from that. His voice is low, quiet, just for her. She’s not even certain the others can hear, other than Merle of course. “I’ve been in love with you for a long time, and we’ve been engaged for what, thirty years now?”

She does the math in her head and nods. He smiles and lets her hand go to quickly wipe at his eyes. “And we got split up for a decade, a very, very long decade, but I’d go through it all again to spend another second with you. You’re the most incredible person I know, the most beautiful and caring and kind woman I’ve ever met, and you show it in all the little things you do. The way you hip check someone to let them know you’re with them, your lip quirk you do when you’re really listening to someone, the way you always ask, even if it isn’t obvious, if someone needs help with something. You spend so much time making sure everyone’s taken care of and I love you for it.

“I spent so long cooped up inside of libraries and research labs that I hardly ever gave a second though to the idea of finding someone to fall in love with and marry. And then I met you and we went on a century long journey together and I got to fall in love with you. Really fall in love with you. You make me better, Lup. And I’m so excited to get to spend the rest of my undeath with me being called your husband and getting to call you my wife.”

He glances down, blinking rapidly and smile through it, face reddening. “Gods, I told myself I wasn’t gonna cry after that.”

“Well, I cried just before coming out here all over Cap, so I think you’re winning here.”

Him and Merle let out a laugh and she glances at Merle, who’s looking at her with one of the happiest expressions she’s seen on him to date.

“Lup?” he asks. “You want me to give you a second before you give yours?”

“Oh, I’m just gonna ramble if that’s fine,” she says.

“It’s very fine.”

“Alright, you’re putting me on the spot a lot here with not letting me prepare this,” she pauses to laugh, shoving her tears down until at least a little later in her speech, “but I’ll do my best.”

She looks back at him in his damp eyed red faced glory and she doesn’t know if she’s ever felt this in love before.

“Barry Bluejeans, I love you so much that sometimes it hurts. I never thought I’d get married before I met you, thought it was something for other people and not me. But I’ve known you for more than a hundred years now, been in love with you for over half that, and I’d be glad to spend an entire millennium with you if you asked. I’m in it for the long run, and I know you are too. And I—”

She can feel the lump in her throat growing, and she pauses, wipes at her eyes and lets out a shuddering laugh. She lowers her voice for this, because this is just for him.

“I missed you for so long, babe. It was eleven years of waiting and waiting and being terrified of never getting out but you’re a major part of what kept me _me_. And I-I love you so damn much. You’re one hearty son of a bitch and you love so deeply and care so much about the people close to you that’s impossible not to love you. You put time and effort into your relationships and it shows.”

Lup’s got tears running down her cheeks but so does Barry so it’s alright. “And you may be a bastard for springing a wedding on me and keeping it secret for months, but I love you for it. And I’m so ready to spend the rest of whatever time we get left being married to you.”

She breathes in and nods, signaling her finish. Merle coughs into his hands, and even he’s looking a little glossy. “Alright, that was… Angus?”

Angus hurries around to stand next to them, presenting the basket with their rings in it. They’re both silver, but Barry’s has a ring of red stone running through the center and Lup’s has a round blue stone mounted on top. Lup snorts and covers her face, pushing the overwhelming amount of emotions back down. She hears shuffling and then there’s a soft touch to her hand. She uncovers her face to find Barry looking at her, ring in hand, and she hold out her left hand for him to place it. It fits perfectly, weighty around her finger, and she wiggles her fingers to feel it. Then she takes his ring from the basket and takes his hand, slipping it onto his ring finger as well. It’s seems he’s moved his engagement ring to the right hand, so this fits in its place nicely.

“Thanks, Angus,” she says quietly, voice a little wrecked.

“Of course, Miss Lup,” he says just as quiet, bowing back out of the way.

“By the power vested in me by pretty much every Pan out there, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss—”

Barry moves before Merle finishes, wrapping an arm around her waist and dipping her for a kiss. It’s soft and sweet and she grabs at his back to keep from falling over in the rush of movement. Taako and Magnus let out a whoop from the audience and Lucretia gives a whistle, and the rest of their guests give cheers and applause.

“… each other,” Merle says as they come back up, laughing and clinging to each other.

“You took too long,” Barry says. “I had the unquenchable urge to kiss my wife.”

“I’d call that a pretty good first married kiss from my brand spankin’ new husband,” Lup says in reply, and gods does it feel right to call him that. He grins at her and she can feel herself match it through all the laugh crying she’s doing.

The next pretty much half hour is filled with hugging people and her being really shocked with both herself and Barry that he was able to hide their whole entire wedding from her. They sit down and eat and it’s a mixture of both of their favorites, a perfect blend of foods. Lup really helped Taako make their favorite foods and thought nothing other than “Huh, that’s a little weird.”

“Barry,” she says, remembering how weddings work abruptly. “Please tell me we don’t have to do a solo dance.”

“Oh gods no,” he says, looking affronted. “Did you think I would plan that into our wedding? I’d hate that, you’d hate that, it would be weird for everyone to just stand there and watch. Absolutely not. Just all crowd dancing here.”

She breathes a sigh of relief and takes another bite of her berry crumble. “I never would have forgiven you for making me do that.”

“I never would have forgiven myself. Can you imagine?” Barry looks at her and she shudders, making a face. She doesn’t want to.

They do get up and dance eventually, surrounded by their family on all sides, dancing goofily to each other to funky tunes they’d picked up from their journey. A slow song finds them together, pressed close, turning in circles with each other.

“Hey,” she says quietly, cheek resting on his head.

“Hey yourself,” he says back.

“You were right, I did like it.”

“I’m glad. Got a little nervous towards the end that you’d me mad I planned the whole thing without you.”

“I mean it would have been fun to be a part of it, I’ll admit it. But I’m more impressed by your ability to keep this whole thing a secret.”

“I cashed in a lot of favors to get everyone to keep quiet,” he admits. “It was worth it though.”

“There was never a set way I imagined it all happening, but I gotta say this is pretty good. Everything really fell into place, huh?”

“We’re married,” Barry says, sounding wonder struck. “I’m your husband and you’re my _wife_. That sounds so right to say.”

Lup thinks about it, about the thought of introducing Barry as her husband or being introduced as his wife and it chokes her up a little bit. They’ve been a team for years, but now they’re a married team, and that thought seems so very correct. “Yeah it does.”

She looks out at the yard full of people, all of them happy and talking. Angus is dancing with Killian looking like he’s having the time of his life trying to keep up with her, Mookie is chasing Carey around, Taako spins Ren out in a twirl, Merle is dragging a disgruntled but amused Davenport onto the dance floor, Mavis has swindled Magnus into a dance, and Kravitz and Lucretia are talking happily next to the drinks table.

It’s comfortable and it’s hers.

“Happy Candlenights, Lup,” Barry says to her, pulling out of her hold to look at her. She smiles and kisses him.

“Happy Candlenights.”

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this got much longer than i expected it to.  
> foxy, i hope you enjoyed this! i got the idea and it got a little out of hand, eleven thousand words out of hand, but i'm hoping it was good  
> happy candlenights everyone!


End file.
